Should Writers Hire an Editor
Before They Submit?

It's worth it on longer manuscripts

Guest article by Tracy Habenicht

I recently visited an online discussion board geared toward writers. In
addition to posts from users touting their own work and questioning how to break
into the business, one thread, in particular, caught my attention. The person
who had posted it said that a freelance editor should not edit a writer’s work
unless he or she thinks it has a chance to be published.

That statement does a disservice to writers and editors everywhere. Most
freelance editors are not associated with publishing houses. They do not have
the power to accept or reject a work for publication. Their expertise lies
simply in the editing.

In “Predators
& Editors” in AnotherRealm.com, it says, “Most editing services do not
claim, and rightly so, that their efforts will result in a publishing contract.
Reputable companies will tell you that up front.”

So should a writer submit his or her work to an editor before sending it to a
publisher?

Absolutely!

Works can benefit a great deal from being edited. A good edit of a
well-written piece will spot those few words that were inadvertently used
incorrectly. A thorough edit of a more poorly written piece – no matter how
original the plot or well-developed the characters – will spot those misspelled
words, errors in punctuation, changes in tense or narration – the list goes on.

Editing also provides the writer with an objective reader before the story is
sent to a publisher. An editor can tell a writer which part of the story does
not make sense, which scene does not advance the plot, which character should be
developed further.

Editors are taught to question everything. They will look at a work from a
variety of angles. They will ask themselves not only,” Is the story
entertaining?” but, “Does it make sense? Are the characters’ actions logical
based on how they have been described? Is the dialogue believable? Are the words
something an actual person would say?”

If the editor has suggested a lot of improvements for the story, the writer
may realize that this draft should not be the final one. Perhaps more work needs
to go into the story before a publisher sees it.

So the use of editors is a logical step between having rough drafts and
having a final product to submit to a publisher.

Any publisher is going to welcome writing in which the story stands out, not
the mistakes. And that is going to get a writer that much closer to having his
or her work published.

After editing others’ work for five years, Tracy Habenicht has recently
rediscovered the joy of creative writing. To learn more about her and her
business, In the Details Proofreading Service, visit
ProofCopy.com.